ATLANTA – As each month begins, ACN columnist Ken Hall gathers the most notable auction highlights from the United States and across the world. His Gallery Report for July 2023 delivers a bounty of intriguing results. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium, except where noted.
N.C. Wyeth painting, $2.45 million, Freeman’s
A painting by N. C. Wyeth titled Jetty Tree (Port Clyde, Maine), a landscape depicting the Maine coast, sold for $2.45 million at an auction held June 4 during America Week by Freeman’s in Philadelphia. Also, Henriette Wyeth’s Portrait of Peter Hurd topped out at $138,600; a winter scene by German-born American wildlife artist Carl Rungius, titled After the Storm (Tundra), finished at $453,600; and Morgan Colt’s painting A Glorious Day earned $126,000.
Dale Chihuly bowl basket, $5,227, Michaan’s Auctions
A shapely art glass Macchia Bowl Basket by Dale Chihuly sold for $5,227 at a Luxury Auction held May 19 by Michaan’s Auctions in Alameda, Calif. Also, an Edith Baretto Stevens Parsons figural bronze fountain settled at $7,995; a Bosendorfer concert grand piano attained $46,125; a Van Cleef & Arpels ruby, enamel, diamond and 18K gold terrier brooch commanded $7,995; and a Buccellati sterling silver soup tureen went to a determined bidder for $6,765.
Frank Herbert’s Dune, $22,500, PBA Galleries
A first edition copy of Frank Herbert’s Dune sold for $22,500 at a Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror auction held June 1 by PBA Galleries in Berkeley, Calif. Also, the Dark Tower series by Stephen King brought $22,500; The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin rose to $10,000; Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein realized $11,250; the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov secured $15,000; and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick made $13,750.
Japanese incense burner, $250,000, Heritage Auctions
A massive Japanese dragon-form incense burner containing almost 45 pounds of pure silver sold for $250,000 at a Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu Signature Auction held May 16 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. Also, a Tiffany & Company partial gilt water pitcher finished at $35,000; a circa-1870 Gorham partial gilt figural punch bowl with the original ladle realized $35,000; and a Gorham Martele six-piece Blue Lily motif tea and coffee set left the room for $20,000.
Mandarin court robe, $39,060, Sarasota Estate Auctions
A Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe sold for $39,060 at a two-day sale held May 20-21 by Sarasota Estate Auctions in Sarasota, Fla. Also, a blanc de chine Buddha statue with a spiritual symbol made $25,200; a pair of Han warriors finished at $7,560; a Tang white pigment prancing horse trotted off with $6,930; an oil on canvas portrait attributed to Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) went for $19,530; and a Modernist sculpture by Aurora Canero (Spanish, b. 1940-) brought $7,560.
Rolex Big Red Daytona watch, $65,000, Jones & Horan
A Rolex Big Red Daytona watch, ref. 6263, sold for $65,000 at a four-hour auction held May 7 by Jones & Horan in Manchester, N.H. Also, a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar watch, ref. 3940, achieved $49,000; a Rolex Small Red Daytona watch, ref. 6265, brought $32,000; a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer II watch, ref. 1655, went for $16,500; a Patek Philippe Ricochet watch by Gilbert Albert hit $16,500; and a Rolex Kermit Submariner watch, ref. 16610LV, hopped away with $13,500.
Masudaya Target Robot, $34,440, Milestone Auctions
A Masudaya (Japan) 15in battery-operated Target Robot from the Gang of Five series with a dart gun and two darts, plus the original box, sold for $34,440 at a Spring Premier Toy Auction held May 27 by Milestone Auctions in Willoughby, Ohio. Also, a Yonezawa (Japan) 13in battery-operated 8 Man Walking Robot with its original box claimed $8,400; a Yonezawa battery-operated Jupiter robot finished at $20,400; and a Nomura (Japan) battery-operated Walking Batman earned $12,915.
New Haven Arms carbine, $23,500, Rock Island Auction Company
A factory-engraved New Haven Arms Company Volcanic carbine rifle sold for $23,500 at a Sporting & Collector Auction held June 21-23 by Rock Island Auction Company in Rock Island, Ill. Also, a Colt Paterson Second Model ring lever rifle hit the mark for $16,450; a Winchester Model 1866 lever action rifle doubled its high estimate to bring $11,163; and an engraved silver-plated Colt Hartford English dragoon revolver made $8,813. Overall, the sale grossed more than $6.5 million.
1880 silver ingot, $42,175, Holabird Western Americana Collections
An 1880 Mathey, Kustel & Riotte silver ingot with documented information, the only known example, with logo punch and weighing 4.97 troy ounces, sold for $42,175 at a High-Grade auction held June 15-18 by Holabird Western Americana Collections in Reno, Nev. Also, one of a few known copies of De Groot’s original third edition map of the Washoe mines of Nevada, published in 1860, brought $15,000; and a remarkable archive from a legal Nevada prostitute went for $5,750.
David Hockney lithograph, $47,795, Ahlers & Ogletree
A 1979 color lithograph on paper of a tropical scene by David Hockney (British, b. 1937-), titled Bora Bora, sold for $47,795 at auctions held June 15-17 by Ahlers & Ogletree in Atlanta. Also, a 1909 pastel on medium light brown paper by Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938), titled Study in Orange and Rose, realized $39,325; and a 1910 oil on canvas, Portrait of Lady with Pitcher, by William Worcester Churchill (American, 1858-1926) attained $39,325.
First edition, first issue Great Expectations, $24,000, Potter & Potter Auctions
A first edition, first issue, three-volume copy of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, printed by Chapman and Hall, London in 1861, sold for $24,000 at a Fine Books and Manuscripts sale held June 1 by Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago. Also, a copy of H. P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others settled at $11,400; a first edition copy of Henry Roth’s Call It Sleep achieved $9,000; and a copy of Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father went for $6,000.
Flora Danica table service, $118,750, Andrew Jones Auctions
An extensive service of Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica porcelain tableware that was offered in 24 lots totaled $118,750 at an auction held June 18 by Andrew Jones Auctions in Los Angeles. Also, an 89-piece Puiforcat first standard silver Royal pattern flatware service achieved $18,750; a Chinese gilt and black coromandel lacquer eight-panel screen secured $11,875; and a group of seven Buccellati sterling silver clad shells and a shell-form footed dish garnered $11,875.
Wurlitzer Model 71 jukebox, CA$14,750, Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.
An American circa-1940-1941 Wurlitzer Model 71 tabletop jukebox, restored and on a Wurlitzer model 810 stand, sold for $14,750 in an online-only Petroliana, Advertising & Coin-Op auction held June 10 by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. in New Hamburg, Canada. Also, a Canadian 1900 Kuntz Park Brewery Waterloo beer tray served up $12,980, and an American 1924 Globe Amusement Lighthouse grip strength tester fought its way to $12,980. All prices in this entry are in Canadian dollars.
Vacheron Constantin watch, $100,800, Doyle
A circa-2012 wristwatch by Vacheron Constantin, created to celebrate the Opera National de Paris sold for $100,800 at an Important Jewelry auction held June 22 by Doyle in New York City. Also, a Bulgari ring featuring a Fancy Intense blue-green diamond flanked by two Fancy Intense pink diamonds slipped onto a new finger for $1.059 million, and a circa-1930 Raymond Yard Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring changed hands for $289,800. Overall, the sale grossed $4.139 million.
Caldwell bronze figures, $10,625, Roland Auctions
A pair of circa-1900 Caldwell & Co. gilt and patinated bronze figures mounted on green marble bases, since transformed into lamps, sold for $10,625 at a Multi-Estates Sale held June 2-3 by Roland Auctions in Glen Cove, N.Y. Also, a still life of flowers in a vase by Yanoucher Yektai (1921-2019), signed and dated 1969, brought $15,000; and a signed watercolor landscape of a hillside by Richard Mayhew (American, b. 1924-) went for $10,625.
Chinese Export clock, $34,375, John Moran Auctioneers
A Chinese Export French-style automaton clock, signed Cheon S’Nag Comton to the mechanism, sold for $34,375 at a Traditional Collector sale held April 25-26 by John Moran Auctioneers in Los Angeles. Also, a 1738 red-and-white chalk drawing by Francois Boucher, titled The Vegetable Vendor: A Sheet of Studies, achieved $81,250; Sally James Farnham’s New York City Mounted Policeman in the Rain strode to $34,375; and a Francois Linke gilt-bronze mounted armoire realized $11,250.
Kentucky Derby trophies, $317,000, Julien’s Auctions
A group of five Lemon & Son brand sterling silver engraved Kentucky Derby trophies, won between 1957 to 1969 by renowned horse jockey Bill Hartack, sold for $317,000 at a Sports Legends auction held June 23 by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, Calif. Also, a training jersey signed by basketball star Michael Jordan commanded $104,000; a pair of Converse shoes signed by Jordan brought $104,000; and a tournament jersey from 1968 signed by soccer star Pele secured $16,250.
Daguerreotype of gold miners, $37,800, Hindman Auctions
A half-plate daguerreotype of three miners, looking resolute behind their lit cigars, sold for $37,800 at an American Historical Ephemera & Photography auction held June 15-16 by Hindman Auctions in Cincinnati. Also, a circa-1855 quarter-plate daguerreotype of Fort Mackinac, Mich., possibly the earliest image of the important military outpost, brought $31,500; a quarter-plate daguerreotype of photographer Andrew Joseph Russell (1830-1902) earned $28,350; and a photograph of Lincoln’s second inauguration in 1865 reached $18,900.
Click to view top auction results on LiveAuctioneers: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/pages/recent-auction-sales/
